• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

2

Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less

3

Ray Dalio just finished a 10-day trip to China. He says global leaders know America ‘doesn’t have what it takes to fight to maintain its empire’

1

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

2

Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less

3

Ray Dalio just finished a 10-day trip to China. He says global leaders know America ‘doesn’t have what it takes to fight to maintain its empire’
Finance

Federal Reserve Passes Big Banks in Stress Test

By
Stephen Gandel
Stephen Gandel
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Stephen Gandel
Stephen Gandel
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 23, 2016, 4:40 PM ET
Federal Reserve Building in Washington, D.C.
Photograph by Anadolu Agency — Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Updated – 5:55 p.m.

The Federal Reserve handed out only passing grades in its annual stress test, according to results released on Thursday afternoon.

Of the 33 banks the Fed tested—which included the largest U.S. banks, like Bank of America, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo—as well as some sizable regional banks and the U.S. divisions of large international banks, all were deemed strong enough to weather a severe economic meltdown without any help from the government.

Still, not all of the banks fared equally well. Among the big banks, Morgan Stanley (MS), appeared to come out with the lowest grade. It showed a 7 percentage point drop in a key capital ratio in the Fed’s hypothetical economic downturn. That was the largest drop of the banks that the Fed tested. On another measure of capital, Morgan was only 0.9 percentage points above the minimum required by the Fed, again the lowest level of all the banks.

Morgan’s shares have fallen 30% in the past year as a number of business, including bond trading, have lagged, causing some analysts to question whether CEO James Gorman will be able to return the firm to its former level of profitability.

Wells Fargo, too, came out of the test looking a bit worse than the other banks, with a key capital ratio after the affects of the stress test coming it at the lowest level of all the big banks.

A difference for this year was that the Fed factored in the possibility of negative interest rates. That would hurt lending-heavy banks like Wells Fargo (WFC) more than Wall Street-focused banks like Goldman Sachs (GS).

What’s more, the Fed determined that a number of big banks are still exposed to very big losses should another financial crisis or significant downturn hit. Losses at JPMorgan Chase (JPM) would reach $95.4 billion in the Fed’s adverse stress scenario. That was the biggest of the big banks. Bank of America (BAC) could have $82 billion in losses, according to the Fed.

All together, the Federal Reserve estimated that the 33 banks would lose nearly $527 billion dollars if the economy were to enter a recession similar to the one experienced in the late aughts. That was up from $490 billion in bank losses the Fed projected a year ago, but last year’s test included two fewer banks.

Still, as was the case in 2015, the banks collectively cleared the test by a wider margin than they did the year before. The positive stress test results serve as yet another example of how more safe the big banks are than in 2007 and 2008. It also shows how financial strength of the nation’s largest institutions have become a focus at the big banks and for regulations.

The initial results appear to be a win for J.P. Morgan, which had the lowest percentage point drop in its capital ratio among the big banks in the Fed’s stress test. The stress test should also provide a boost for Citigroup (C) and Goldman, which came out with the high level on a key capital ratio in the stress test. Capital ratios measure how much money a bank has to cover trading losses and bad loans.

The Fed conducted its stress tests by looking at how much the banks could stand to lose in their loan portfolios and trading books under an adverse economic scenario.

A Fed official cautioned that while all the banks met the minimum capital levels, the regulator might still reject a bank’s request to increase dividends based on qualitative reasons. The results of that determination will be made next week.

An earlier version of this story said a key capital ratio for Morgan Stanley was only 0.4 percentage points above the Fed’s minimum requirement. In fact that ratio is 0.9 percentage point above the minimum.

About the Author
By Stephen Gandel
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

l
EnvironmentFrance
The hottest day in French history was so bad the Louvre and Eiffel Tower had to close early
By Samuel Petrequin and The Associated PressJune 25, 2026
1 hour ago
Top CD rates from major banks June 25, 2026: Chase CDs, Bank of America CDs, Citibank CDs, and more
Personal FinanceCertificates of Deposit (CDs)
Top CD rates from major banks on June 25, 2026: Chase CDs, Bank of America CDs, Citibank CDs, and more
By Joseph HostetlerJune 25, 2026
1 hour ago
Current price of Ethereum for June 25, 2026
Personal FinanceEthereum
Current price of Ethereum for June 25, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 25, 2026
1 hour ago
Current price of Bitcoin for June 25, 2026
Personal FinanceCryptocurrency
Current price of Bitcoin for June 25, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 25, 2026
1 hour ago
Current price of gold as of June 25, 2026
Personal Financegold prices
Current price of gold as of June 25, 2026
By Danny BakstJune 25, 2026
2 hours ago
Current price of oil as of June 25, 2026
Personal FinanceOil
Current price of oil as of June 25, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 25, 2026
2 hours ago

Most Popular

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
Success
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 24, 2026
1 day ago
Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
Retail
Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
24 hours ago
Ray Dalio just finished a 10-day trip to China. He says global leaders know America ‘doesn’t have what it takes to fight to maintain its empire’
Asia
Ray Dalio just finished a 10-day trip to China. He says global leaders know America ‘doesn’t have what it takes to fight to maintain its empire’
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
1 day ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
7 hours ago
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
Success
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 23, 2026
2 days ago
Trump’s international student crackdown kicked off a domino effect that could shave nearly $500 billion off the economy
Economy
Trump’s international student crackdown kicked off a domino effect that could shave nearly $500 billion off the economy
By Tristan BoveJune 24, 2026
20 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.